He was the presiding officer of the Republican National Convention at Minneapolis in 1892, when the attempt was made to stampede the delegates for him. It was a most trying situation, but he bore himself with coolness and decision. When Ohio recorded two votes for him, he challenged the vote so as to put himself on record for Harrison. When the roll call was complete, Harrison received 535 votes, Blaine 182, McKinley 182, and Reed 4. Leaving the chair, Mr. McKinley mounted a seat in the Ohio delegation and moved to make the nomination of Harrison unanimous. Governor McKinley’s campaign tour through the West for Harrison was one of the marvels of the time. He made 325 speeches in 300 different towns. For more than eight weeks he averaged more than seven speeches a day. He travelled over sixteen thousand miles and addressed more than two million people. Toward the latter part of Mr. Cleveland’s administration, it became clear that the free silver faction of the Democratic party would control the Democratic Convention, but the Republican Convention assembled first. One of Ohio’s wealthy manufacturers, Marcus A. Hanna, became convinced that the Republican party needed William McKinley for its leader, and he set about bringing this to pass with his own business methods. At the convention, Governor McKinley was nominated on the first ballot, with Garret A. Hobart, of New Jersey, for Vice President. The Republican platform declared for protection. In the Democratic Convention, events had been more spectacular. Old leaders were superseded by more radical ones, and the West became a factor in politics with William Jennings Bryan making his first appearance. He attended the convention merely as a reporter, and when he seized the opportunity during a long debate to launch his Cross of Gold and Crown of Thorns speech, he electrified the assembly, and in the wild enthusiasm which it aroused, he was nominated. While John R. McLean, of Ohio, had the lead for the Vice Presidency until the fourth ballot, he lost to Sewall, of Maine. Bryan made a meteoric speech-making dash over the country that played havoc with party allegiance, for many Democrats swung to the support of the Republican candidate, and many Republicans preferred to trail with the following of the silver-tongued orator. From this time on, William Jennings Bryan was a factor to be considered in the politics of the land. The platform of free silver faction of the Democratic party called for the free coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one and turned against the administration of Cleveland. The silver Republicans also had a convention, endorsing Bryan for President and Thomas E. Watson of Georgia for Vice President. The gold Democrats nominated John M. Palmer, Union veteran of Illinois, for President and Simeon B. Buckner, a Confederate veteran for Vice President. The Prohibition party also split on the silver question.